The thing about work is that it’s sometimes unpleasant. There are jobs out there that society needs to be done, simply to continue as a society. Somebody needs to do them, but nobody actually willing to do them, at least without great motivation. Among the unwilling are young Saudis, many of whom have led cossetted lives that allowed them to enjoy the benefits of these jobs’ being done, but never spent much thought about who performed them.
That, reports Saudi Gazette, is changing. At its latest job fair, the municipality of Madinah is promoting jobs that Saudis had heretofore shunned. The brief list provided doesn’t strike me as including the particularly odious jobs—like sewage or other waste removal.
It sounds paradoxical, but the high cost of US universities has a beneficial side effect. Many, if not most students end up taking part-time jobs while studying. Those jobs tend to be very much ‘entry level’ jobs that expose the students to real life and the unpleasant tasks that society needs to be done and is willing to pay to be done. In Saudi Arabia, not only do students get stipends while studying, the awful jobs are all shopped out to foreign workers, putting an even greater separation between Saudi youths and real life. It seems that this sad fact is changing.
Saudis to be offered ‘culturally detested’ jobs
Khaled Al-ShelahiMadina – Young Saudi men and women will embark upon a new cultural dimension by applying to work in professions that used to be among the most detested jobs in Saudi culture during the 18th employment fair in Madina in March.
At the top of the list of professions which Saudis have traditionally found least attractive are jobs, such as, factory milking specialist, construction worker, auto-body repair worker, carpenter, and blacksmith.
The Madina Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) has invited private companies to shortlist their required jobs in 49 professions and make them available to Saudis based on their qualifications.
The MCCI has recommended that in the 18th employment fair, new positions be made available for Saudis to work as construction workers, factory milking supervisors, pump technicians, heating and cooling technicians, wood painters, and car-body workers. And as tourism has started to emerge in the Kingdom, jobs for travel guides, tourist program designers, hotel drivers and receptionists will be available.
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January:23:2009 - 09:14
I believe this also happens in Japan where students require specific permission from their school to be able to take a part time job.
January:23:2009 - 09:14
This calls for some George Thorogood!
Get a haircut and get a real job
… I know. I’m not helping promote a good work ethic.
January:23:2009 - 09:14
If the Haya were to ever have an anthem (!!!!!!) this would be it…
January:23:2009 - 09:14
When I lived in Saudi Arabia briefly in 1990, I was told that the number of foreign workers in the country was about equal to the Saudi population. It was explained to me by both Saudi friends and a Palestinian businessman that there was a pretty consistent informal hierarchy in who did what kind of work. Palestinians, for instance, worked in higher-level jobs, while Yemenis worked in lower-level jobs. I don’t know how true that was, but just from observation it seemed pretty accurate. Saudis themselves didn’t seem to work very much.
I remember thinking that if the oil runs out someday or no longer brings in enough income, there might be a serious problem with a population that can no longer hire foreigners but doesn’t have a work tradition of its own. Trying to instill a work ethic among young Saudis seems like a pretty good idea.
January:23:2009 - 09:14
The Saudi government—and large parts of society–realize they needn’t wait for the oil to run out before they run into serious problems. That’s why the push for vocational education and articles praising Saudis who take ‘non-traditional’ jobs.
The thing that amazes me is that before the oil started to be pumped, Saudis worked very hard. They had the choice of working hard or dying fast. Life in the Kingdom, before air conditioning, before cars, before schools, before subsidized foods, was about as harsh as it gets. That time is only two generations ago. I’d think that grandparents would remember that kind of life and encourage their kids and grandchildren to not take even relative wealth for granted.
January:23:2009 - 09:14
@Tom Carter:
Foreign workers are about 25-30% of the population. Not equal. Unlike countries like the UAE or Kuwait where foreigners outnumber the native population.